Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to transposing current EU market surveillance legislation into UK law, when the UK exits the EU.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Through the Great Repeal Bill the Government's general approach is that the same rules and laws will apply on the day after exit as they did before, until Parliament decides otherwise after proper parliamentary scrutiny.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to transposing current EU product safety legislation into UK law, when the UK exits the EU.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Through the Great Repeal Bill the Government's general approach is that the same rules and laws will apply on the day after exit as they did before, until Parliament decides otherwise after proper parliamentary scrutiny.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 9 February (HL Deb, col 1854) stating that his "right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is having regular meetings with consumer representatives", what meetings concerning Brexit have been held, what were the agendas for those meetings and who participated in each meeting.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy continues to raise consumers in the wide range of meetings he is having with stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.
For example, on 19 December 2016, the Secretary of State chaired a roundtable with representatives from a range of consumer bodies, charities and academics to discuss, amongst other issues, the impact of EU exit on consumers. Organisations invited to this meeting were: Which?, Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland, Money Saving Expert, Age UK, Consumer Council Northern Ireland, Chartered Trading Standards Institute, National Trading Standards, Trading Standards Scotland, University of East Anglia, and the University of Oxford.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the survey finding by the Association of Business Recovery Professionals that 72 per cent of their members who responded to the survey believe that the outcome of the referendum will lead to an increase in corporate insolvencies, what plans they have in place to deal with an increase in insolvencies.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
We are committed to supporting those businesses that trade with the EU and wider international markets, as well as continuing to encourage record foreign direct investment that supports business and communities up and down the country. Due to the decisions this Government has taken, the British economy is fundamentally strong and we are well-positioned to negotiate our departure from the EU. Employment is at a record high and there are almost a million new businesses in our country since 2010.
Departments are undertaking analysis to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses and consumers.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with professional accountancy bodies to explore the case for the continued applicability of the Statutory Audit Directive and the Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, enabling qualified UK auditors and chartered accountants to work in other EU member states, with a view to including this issue in negotiations with the EU.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy meet regularly with representatives of the statutory audit and chartered accountancy professions. The Government is engaging with businesses from a range of sectors to understand their key concerns in order to secure the best possible deal as part of our future relationship with Europe.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK economy of the non-applicability of the European Insolvency Regulation following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Departments are undertaking analysis to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses and consumers. This analysis will include engagement with as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible. This will allow the Government to understand the impact that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses and consumers, and to seize the opportunities of leaving the EU.
The Government remains committed to making Britain the best place in Europe to own and grow a business. That includes supporting those businesses that trade with the EU and wider international markets, as well as continuing to encourage record foreign direct investment that supports business and communities up and down the country.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the non-applicability of the European Insolvency Regulation following the UK's withdrawal from the EU on the ability of insolvency practitioners in EU countries to work on cross-border insolvencies in the UK.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Departments are undertaking analysis to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses and consumers. This analysis will include engagement with as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible. This will allow the Government to understand the impact that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses and consumers, and to seize the opportunities of leaving the EU.
As my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister said, we want British companies to have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the Single Market – and to let European businesses to do the same here.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the written submissions received in response to the Waterson review into the consumer protection measures concerning online secondary ticketing facilities which was published on 26 May.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
This will be considered as part of the government’s response to Professor Waterson’s review.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the evidence collected by the Competition and Markets Authority in relation to the secondary tickets platform compliance review.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Competition and Markets Authority is an independent enforcement body and draws on a range of sources when carrying out such investigations. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold this evidence.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in pursuing the negotiations for Brexit, whether they will negotiate to maintain the UK's membership of the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network and the Rapid Alert System.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Departments are currently working with stakeholders to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses, consumers and other economic actors - we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for UK consumers.